Change isn't always for the Better
by LannaJon4EVA
Summary: Hermione is all grown up, but what happens when she is faced with a blast from her past-a grown up Harry Potter
1. Late again

"BEEP BEEP BEEP" The alarm screeched through the small flat where a sleeping brunette was rudely awoken. She turned over and shut it off, before actually looking at the time to see that it read 8:53, an hour after she was supposed to be woken up.  
  
"Oh no..." She yelled, jumping out of bed and racing for the bathroom. After finishing in there she grabbed her wand from her bedside table, casting a quick charm that dressed her before apparating to work.  
  
"Miss Granger, late this morning are we? That's a first." Tom said as soon as she apparated near her desk. He was another journalist for the Daily Prophet, as was she. They worked on adjacent desks and had formed a very strong friendship over the years.  
  
"Quit it Haldinton. I know!" Hermione snapped playfully  
  
"Slept in did we?"  
  
"Something like it. My alarm clock. malfunctioned."  
  
"Sure it did." He said, before returning to work.  
  
"So what stories have we got today?"  
  
"Well I was looking through your inbox..."  
  
"A practice which could be classified as invasion of privacy..." Hermione interrupted.  
  
"And you have a Quidditch story to do." Tom finished, ignoring Hermione's lastest comment. The girl just groaned.  
  
"I hate Quidditch. So what do I have to do?" she asked slumping into her desk chair. Tom paced over, informing her of this latest job.  
  
"Go to the Pudlemere United game tonight, take notes and then conduct some interviews with the players." Tom said, reading off a piece of paper in front of him.  
  
"Can I have my assignment sheet Tom, please?" Hermione said waspishly. Tom handed her the piece of paper, which she daintly snatched from his fingers.  
  
"Okay, I think I understand. But how do I get in to the game and contact the players?"  
  
"Oh, with this." Tom said, handing her a necklace with a little broom charm hanging from it. She removed the charm from the necklace and placed the charm on a small gold chain haging around her neck with another charm "VIP badge." He said simply. Hermione nodded, clasping the rather pretty necklace around her thin neck.  
  
"And does it specify who I have to interview?" Hermione questioned, scanning the assignment sheet for details.  
  
"Only that you should get an interview with the Seeker, he's the Captain and star player."  
  
"Who's the seeker?"  
  
"Honestly Herm, don't you follow Quidditch at all?"  
  
"No."  
  
"It's Harry Potter." Tom said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Hermione stared at him blankly, unsure she had heard correctly. "Most famous boy alive? You know, the one that finally defeated Voldemort at the mere age of 17? The one that Witch Weekly deemed hottest guy alive?"  
  
"H...harry?" Hermoine said softly, a whole new portal of memories opening up. She hadn't seen the guy in more than 5 years, and as far as the 22 year old female knew, he had made a living out of seducing some of the most wanted women alive, playing a bit of World Class Quidditch on the side. She was not particually sure that this was the man she wanted to meet again. Sure, he had been her best friend years ago, but since they had left school she had lost touch with both Ron and Harry, mainly due to the fact that they had both gone on to pursue Quidditch careers.  
  
"Well done, now Herm, shall we move onto the surname, curve your lips slowly, then start with a P sound, followed by OTTER" Tom said putting on a baby voice and looking at the fuming Hermione.  
  
"Shut it..."  
  
"Only if you tell me what this is all about."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why were you suddenly rendered speechless at the sound of Potter's name? You've never been speechless in your life. I usually have more trouble shutting you up."  
  
"It's ... complicated." Hermione said slowly.  
  
"I'm listening."  
  
"He used to be my best friend at Hogwarts. And I harboured the biggest crush on him for as long as I can remember. And then suddenly he changed. He came back one summer and he was drop dead gorgeous, but with the image came this arrogance, he turned into a bastard. He started sleeping around with every girl that came his way. He even tried me, and it almost worked. He had this charm about him, this irresistable attitude. And although my crush had softened, it was far from over. After that our friendship deteriorated, and when we left school at the end of seven year I never saw him again."  
  
"So you're scared if you see him again, you'll fall for him again?"  
  
"No! I can control my self around him thank you very much! I am a grown woman, not a simpering lovesick teenager." Hermione snapped back crossly. She got up from her desk, took off her blazer, re-shuffled a couple of papers and then sat herself down again.  
  
"Thanks for that little show Hermione, and what was that about being able to handle this like a mature grown up? As if hon" Tom sat down and prepared to handle a pissed off Hermione. Instead, all he heard was silence and when he looked up he saw her hard at work editing one of her stories.  
  
***THE QUIDDITCH GAME***  
  
"And Puddlemere United wins, the Snitch caught by team captain and seeker, Mr Harry Potter" The announcement came over the loud speaker. Hermione tensed. This was it. In half an hour she would be seated in the board room interviewing her old best friend, and judging by the way he looked, that was going to be one damn hard task.  
  
She rose from the seating as the players made their way off the field, and flattened her knee length white skirt. Her pale green shirt had the top few buttons undone, revealing a gold necklace with a pendant of a quill hanging from it-a gift from her younger sister Elaine, for her 21st birthday. Next to that pendant hung the broomstick, the one that would allow her to talk to Harry in a matter of minutes. She smoothed down her shoulder length, straight hair and applied a little more lipstick...just to make herself look presentable.  
  
She walked toward the board room, checking her watch along the way. She was a couple of minutes early, but that would just have to do. As she told herself, rather early than late. When she reached the door she knocked-  
  
"Yes...Miss Granger" the man opening the door said and he caught a glimpse of her face "Come in and take a seat. Mr Potter with be with you in a second." Hermione was ushered into a room furnished with only the best. She seated herself on one of the two richly decorated chairs and smoothed her skirt. She was beginning to think that she might be becoming an obsessive compulsive smoother, especially when she was nervous. Suddenly the door opened and in stepped Harry.  
  
"Herm..."  
  
CLIFFIE ENOUGH...DISCLAIMER IS AS ALWAYZ...APPEARS IN MY BIO I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING.  
  
PLZ READ AND REVIEW LUV YA ALL LOZ AND NATTY 


	2. Confrontations

HEY GUYZ THIS IS THE LONG AWAITED CHAPTER. IT'D BE GREAT IF U'D READ AND REVIEW COZ ME AND NATTY HAVE HAD A GREAT RESPONSE FOR THIS STORY AND IT TOOK US A WHILE TO COMPILE A CHAPTER THAT WE THOUGHT YOU GUYZ WOULD LIKE SINCE YOU ALL SAID THAT YOU WANTED H/HR ROMANCE. OKIES, PLEASE KEEP READIN AND MABE READ OUR OTHA FICS?????  
  
LUV YAZ  
  
LOZ AND NATTY  
  
"Harry", Hermione rose from her seat and looked into the eyes of her old best friend. Memories of the past flashed through her head making it almost impossible to continue looking at Harry without blushing. Of course there was a little more than friendship between Harry and Hermione at one point. But that wasn't a train of thought she'd like to continue down..  
  
"Are you...are you my interviewer?" Harry asked softly. Hermione nodded. "Oh." Harry said simply, slowly making his way to a comfortable couch opposite Hermione.  
  
"I...i suppose we'd better get started." Hermione said weakly, resuming her seat at the same time as Harry sat down in his.  
  
"Herm.. we have more important things to talk about than.."  
  
"I have an interview to hand in Mr. Potter." Hermione said briskly.  
  
"We can do that later!" Harry said exasperatedly. "I haven't spoken to you in five years and you're my bloody best friend!" Harry almost yelled.  
  
"Now is not the time nor place to talk about silly childhood crushes.." Hermione snapped, avoiding Harry's eyes.  
  
"I don't know about you Hermione, but it was more than a little crush!"  
  
"Yeah, you're right!" Hermione yelled, the anger she had been trying to supress exploding out from her. "You tried to bloody well screw me!"  
  
"I loved you!" Harry said.  
  
"Like you loved all those other girls?"  
  
"It wasn't like that!"  
  
"Oh yeah? Well you sure did revert to your old ways pretty quickly after we broke up."  
  
"That was my way of dealing with the pain!"  
  
"Is that why you went around the school saying you had your way with me?"  
  
"That was different. I had a.... reputation to uphold."  
  
"You're a bastard Potter. You always were and you always will be!" Hermione spat.  
  
"You don't mean that." Harry said softly, stunned by her harsh words but continued to stare at her determindly.  
  
"You're right Harry, I don't. There was a time when you were great. When you were good. The old Harry. That's who I fell in love with. Not this.... this monster that's taken over your body!" Hermione yelled.  
  
"It's still me!"  
  
"Is it Harry? Is it? I can't tell anymore." Hermione said almost desperatedly, finally looking at Harry. Their eyes locked again, an a flood of old emotions returning in full force. Yes, the old Harry was still in there, somewhere...  
  
"It's me." Harry said softly, averting his eyes as the emotions flooded through his heart.  
  
"We have an interview to conduct." Hermione said, slowly taking out her quill and a clean piece of parchment. "Now, when did you first begin to love Quidditch?" She asked in a business like tone, trying to shake of all the heavy emotions that had come about from their conversations.  
  
"Herm.."  
  
"I asked you a question." The girl said in a tone that clearly said their latter conversation was over. Harry sighed.  
  
"At Hogwarts.." Harry began, trying not to let the hurt Hermione's words had caused him show. But deep inside, it hurt. More than she could ever know. 


	3. Eversing

Hermione arrived home a few hours later, completely exhausted and in no mood for any company, especially the company that she was expecting. Her boss, Edmund Eversing and Tom Haldinton were coming over to discuss her assignment, and future work in a similar field. Hermione was going to do everything she could to stay away from working with Quiddich stories, as it meant less chance of bumping into Harry.  
  
Seeing Harry again had shaken her up more than she was willing to admit, especially due to the fact that he still remembered what they had once had...  
  
She set her car keys down and raced upstairs and into the shower. She covered her body in rose scented oil, meant to clam her shattered nerves, before jumping out, drying herself and running to her room. They would be here in a matter of minutes, and she needed to make a good impression if she was going to get the stories that she wanted. She put on her lucky underwear and brushed her hair out, before using a quick drying spell to make sure that it was looking its best.  
  
Searching through her wardrobe, she found a blue summer dress that reached just above her knee. It was classy and casual at the same time, making it one of her favourite outfits in her wardrobe.  
  
20 minutes later, the doorbell rang, startling Hermione and causing her to smudge the lipstick she had been reapplying at that very moment. Cursing silently, she quickly fixed herself up before running to the door.  
  
"Sorry about that!" She called through the door as she cast the charm to unlocking it, opening it up.  
  
"Don't worry about leaving your dear friend stranded on the other side of the door." Tom said, grinning as he held up a bottle of wine. Hermione relaxed visibly, obviously fearing it had been her boss, who she had more need to impress.  
  
"Relax, Eversing isn't here yet." He said, guessing the mood she was in correctly.  
  
"I know I know, it's just I've had a tough day."  
  
"How was the interview with Mr. Potter?"  
  
"Think of your worst nightmare. Multiply it by 15, add 9 and then square it and I think you might just about come remotely close to the terror I suffered. Now come in quick, I have to magic something up for dinner otherwise we'll be eating nothing".  
  
Tom sat himself down at the table that had been neatly set for three and watched Hermione fiddle around trying to magic up some lamb and rosemary potato's.  
  
"Herm...what exactly happened?" Tom questioned, eager to know exactly what had gone on during Hermione's meeting with the infamous Harry Potter. Just then the doorbell rang.  
  
"Tell you later Tom, stay after Eversing has left and I'll let you know" Hermione said whilst walking to open the door. "Mr. Eversing, how are you" She greeted her boss and invited him in.  
  
"Great thanks and you Granger?"  
  
"Very good thanks Sir. Please, sit down, can I get you something to drink?" Hermione offered playing the perfect hostess. The night continued smoothly, eating Hermione's delicious meal amongst talk of hers and Tom's future. It was some time during a desert of fruit salad and ice cream that Eversing mentioned his ulterior motive for coming for dinner.  
  
"Hermione, there is something that we need to discuss. I want Tom here as well, because he will be very involved" Eversing set his spoon down and turned to Tom and Hermione. "I have two positions as partners going for the newspaper, and I want to give them to you two". Hermione almost choked on a piece of pineapple when she heard the news.  
  
"Partners Sir?" She questioned settling down a little.  
  
"Yes Granger. I will retire sometime in the next two years, and I want the two of you to take over the newspaper. But in order for that to happen, company policy dictates that you both must be partners in the firm in order for that to happen. So I want to make you to partners."  
  
"That wasn't what I was expecting at all" Tom cut it. "I didn't hope for as much...thank you so much Sir!" Tom was smiling so hard his face hurt!  
  
"However..." Eversing said slowly, obviously suggesting there was more to this arrangement. "I have recently been talking to the manager of Puddlemere United. I told him that the stories based on their progress and their players were the most popular, and he offered a position for two of our reporters to travel around with them for a couple of months, conducting interviews, photo shoots." Hermione clutched the sides of her chair in fear, knowing where this was going...  
  
"So you want us to go, is that it?" Tom said, filling in the gaps.  
  
"The reporters have to be someone high up in the magazine, someone trustworthy, because this is an important job. I would go, but I think I'm getting a bit old for this. That leaves the two of you."  
  
"Please Sir...I can't do it" Hermione said, knowing that her promotion rested on spending months on end with Harry Potter.  
  
"Your promotion depends on this job Hermione. You do this and it'll prove to me, and the rest of the firm, that you are capable of running a company."  
  
"But...but..."  
  
"Hermione...." Tom warned her quietly, before turning to his boss. "She'll do it." He said firmly. Eversing nodded, rising from his table.  
  
"Very well, I'm happy to hear that. I will discuss the details of this tomorrow in the office. As for now, I had better be leaving." He said, picking up his coat from the lounge before making his way to the door.  
  
"Thank you Sir, for this wonderful opportunity." Hermione said, trying to keep a calm composure as she ushered her boss out the door. "Sir, before you leave, when will this job begin?" She questioned.  
  
"You and Tom will leave on Saturday morning"  
  
"Thank you Sir" As soon as she had closed the door behind him, she turned on Tom.  
  
"I CAN"T DO IT!" She yelled.  
  
"You are going to do it Hermione" Tom said walking over to her couch and seating himself on it. Hermione collapsed next to him.  
  
"I can't Tom. I am not spending another moment with that asshole! Absolutely not. I can't do it!" Hermione exploded. Tom put a comforting arm around her.  
  
"Listen Herm, I will be there and I will make sure that nothing weird happens ok. I know that you don't like him, and I know what he did to you..."  
  
"No you don't! I loved him so much! I loved him more than anything, and I was ready to do anything for him...except what he asked" Hermione cried. She was absolutely distraught by this point.  
  
"I know that, listen to me..." Tom enveloped her in a tight hug. "Tell Harry things are different now, tell him you are...with someone else. Tell his that everything has changed"  
  
"Ok. That's a great idea." Hermione pulled away. "I'll tell him that I am with someone else...but who...it has to be believable" Hermione took off her shoes and pulled her feet under her, thinking hard.  
  
"You could always tell him that you and I are...you know...together. That way it would seem very believable." Tom offered. Hermione jumped up and started clapping, causing Tom to roll over laughing.  
  
"That is the best idea, oh my gosh! Thank you so much! Do you think that it'll work?" Tom stood up as well.  
  
"You're pissed Herm. I can tell. Yes it will work, but we have to discuss it tomorrow. Go to bed and sleep ok, you drank too much after Eversing told you about the plan...go and sleep it off ok" Tom said, kissing Hermione on the forehead before showing himself out the door. "Sleep tight!" He called as the door slammed behind him.  
  
"YESSSSSSS" Hermione cried, before walking upstairs and collapsing, fully dressed, on her bed.  
  
****************  
  
"Potter, I called you in here today because I've heard some interesting rumors about you and the reporter that was here today."  
  
"What rumors Rob?" Harry asked his manager, confused.  
  
"Well.... apparently you and this Hermione had a bit of a tussle in Hogwarts, and she's still sore about it."  
  
"We did date briefly, and it didn't end very well. But that's in the past. I'm not going to let it interfere with my game."  
  
"Do you plan on seeing her again?"  
  
"Goodness no! I'd hate to think what would happen if...."  
  
"She's going to be touring with us Potter." Rob interrupted, sitting back in his seat as he watched Harry's reaction.  
  
"W...what?" Harry yelled. "No.... get someone else, anyone. Not her! She hates me, she'll write all these lies about me...."  
  
"Well then you'd better start being a little nicer to her then shouldn't you?" Rob said nastily.  
  
"Rob, why does it have to be her?" Harry whined, calming down.  
  
"I don't know. The strange sadistic workings of fate perhaps." Harry pulled a face as he left his managers office.  
  
"Tell fate it can go jump off a cliff." He muttered. "I can't see her again.... What's it going to do to my game?"  
  
OKIES SO WOT DID YOU GUYZ THINK OF THAT. I THOUGHT THAT WOZ MY BEST CHAPPIE YET. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO R READIN INSPIRATION, THE END IS COMING SOON!!!!  
  
I WANT TO THANK DREAM-SIREN FOR GIVING ME THE IDEA FOR THIS CHAPPY, YOU ROK DUDE! (P.S. READ HER FICS, THEY ARE EXCELLENT)  
  
LUV YA ALL  
  
LOZ AND NATTY 


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